James Anderson in action© AFP
Following his retirement from international cricket after the first Test at Lord’s against the West Indies, former right-arm seamer James Anderson has joined the England side as the bowling mentor for the remaining two matches of the Test series. The second Test between England and the West Indies will start from Thursday at Trent Bridge, Nottingham. From the second match of the series, Anderson will be seen in a new role as he set to mentor the English bowling line-up for the rest of the two matches of the series.
The fast bowler bid farewell to Test cricket on Friday as the third-highest wicket-taker to grace the game.
The 41-year-old took four wickets in the Test match to finish with 704 career scalps in the format, the third behind Muttiah Muralidaran and the late Shane Warne.
The hosts thumped the Caribbeans by an innings and 114 runs in the Test match. Some of the legends of the sport, both past and present, took to social media and acknowledged Anderson’s contribution to cricket for over two decades.
Recapping the first Test match between England and the West Indies, Anderson took the first wicket of the day at Lord’s sending back Joshua Da Silva to all but put an end to West Indies’ fight.
But while Anderson showcased his wares one final time, there was Gus Atkinson, on Test debut, who etched his name onto the Lord’s honours board with a ten-wicket haul – a proper handing over of the baton if ever there was one.
Earlier, England had taken a big first-inning lead, with five batters crossing the half-century mark in a total of 371. Gus Atkinson’s seven-wicket haul had helped bowl the West Indies out for 121 on day one of the Test match.
With a 250-run lead in the bag, England seamers fired away on day two to reduce the West Indies to six wickets down by stumps. While Atkinson once again shone, Anderson set the tone with a peach that seamed back in to castle Kraigg Brathwaite as the Three Lions beat the West Indies by an innings and 114 runs on Friday.
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